Winners and Losers in 2009

I was recently asked to predict IT Winners and Losers in 2009.

Rather than name individual companies, I'd like to highlight categories.

Winners
1. Electronic Health Record vendors, especially web-based applications - The Obama administration has promised $50 billion for interoperable EHRs.

2. Software as a Service providers - SaaS providers offer lower cost of ownership and faster implementation than traditional software installation approaches.

3. Open Source - I'm embracing Open source operating systems, databases, and applications as long as they can provide the reliability and supportability that I need.

4. Green IT - Winners will be innovative techniques to adjust power draw, such as idle drive management, cpu voltage adjustments, and high efficiency power supplies.

5. Cloud Computing offerings - These are remote infrastructure utilities such as storage and high performance computing. Friday's Cool Technology of the Week will describe a new technology called Cloud Optimized Storage.

Losers

1. Client Server applications - the cost of deploying, supporting, and maintaining client server applications is no longer affordable.

2. Proprietary operating systems - I'm eliminating Solaris, AIX, HP-UX from my data centers.

3. High end SAN storage - I find that 90% of my storage needs are met with lower end SAN, NAS, and appliances which use low cost, high density drives (SAS and SATA).

4. Devices that do not offer energy efficient operations.

5. Applications that require a specific operating system or a specific browser on the client side. To be successful in 2009, applications should be operating system neutral, browser neutral, and easily hosted as a service accessible via the web.

I welcome your thoughts on your own winners and losers for 2009.